Polymeric semiconductors have been incorporated into a wide array of electronic, optical and optoelectronic materials and devices. One limitation on manufacturing processes involving semiconducting polymers is the difficulties in preparing multilayer materials. Solution processing is one of the simplest, most economical, and most controllable methods for depositing layers of a conjugated polymer of interest. However, because most conjugated polymers are soluble in organic and/or nonpolar media, depositing a solution of one conjugated polymer onto a previously deposited layer of another conjugated polymer can solubilize it and result in interfacial mixing. This can lead to disruption of the desired device orientation/structure/geometry, process irreproducibility, and reduced efficiency of resulting devices. Thus traditional manufacturing methods for multilayer devices typically involve only one solution processing step for depositing polymers, with remaining layers deposited by more problematic methods, including sputtering, thermal vapor deposition, and chemical deposition methods, which can be more costly and less controllable.
There is a need in the art for conjugated polymers having different physical properties, for methods of making and using them, and for compositions, articles of manufacture and machines comprising such compounds.